Our Restaurant & Food Services team brings together lawyers across Reed Smith’s litigation, corporate, regulatory, employment, intellectual property, tax, insurance recovery, advertising, technology, finance, real estate, and international trade practices. We advise on the commercial, regulatory, operational, and reputational challenges facing the industry, including evolving consumer expectations, franchising and licensing, labor and employment, advertising and marketing compliance, supply chain and trade issues, finance transactions, data privacy and cybersecurity, food safety, consumer protection, antitrust, and complex litigation and class action defense.
Restaurants and food services businesses operate in a high-pressure, margin-sensitive environment where brand reputation, regulatory compliance, and operational consistency are critical. Companies face increasing exposure from labor and wage and hour litigation, franchise disputes, advertising and labeling scrutiny, food safety incidents, technology and data risks, and complex supply chain and trade issues, while also pursuing strategic transactions, investment, growth, and innovation opportunities.
As a full-service, cross-disciplinary team, we help clients manage these risks and opportunities through integrated legal solutions that protect brand value, support compliance, and enable growth. Whether advising on day-to-day operational issues, defending high-stakes disputes, negotiating commercial arrangements, supporting franchising, expansion, investment, and innovation strategies, or helping clients navigate an increasingly regulated and litigious global food service landscape, we deliver practical legal guidance tailored to the realities of the restaurant and food service industry.
Our team can assist your restaurant or food service business with:
- Advertising, marketing, and media compliance
- Complex litigation and class action defense
- Corporate transactions, private equity, and venture capital investments
- Employment litigation defense
- Finance transactions, including credit facilities, securitizations, and leasing transactions
- Real estate transactions and leasing, including site acquisition, development, construction, portfolio management, and lease disputes
- Franchising, licensing, trademarks, and brand protection
- Government contracting, bid protests, compliance, and audits
- Import/export counseling, customs compliance, and international trade matters
- Insurance recovery for business interruption, catastrophic injury, foodborne illness, and other losses
- Intellectual property counseling, protection, and enforcement
- Labor and employment counseling, including wage and hour, workplace safety, accommodations, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and minors in the workplace
- Product liability defense, food safety, contamination, and recall-related risk mitigation
- Technology, data security, privacy, e-commerce, and social media issues
- Tax matters, including sales tax, corporate income tax, and industry-specific credits
